n530 



REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY NORTHWEST 



MARY MITCHELL 



fFrom Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1902 J 



MADISON 
State Historical Society of Wisconsin 



1903 




Pass i SZH 



REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY NORTHWEST 



MARY MITCHELL 



[From Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1902] 



MADISON 

State Historical Society of Wisconsin 

1903 



Rl:MIXISCl:XCliS OF THl: EARLY XOR'FHWF.ST 



BY MARY MITCHEl.L. 



]\ry father, Robert Irwin, jr., came to Green Bay from Erie, 
Pa., in the year 1817. He was engaged in trade with the Indi- 
ans and the few white settlers there at that time. The troops 
had been stationed at Green Bay about a year before, and their 
barracks at that time were on a liill about three miles from the 
mouth of the Fox river, called Camp Smith. It was in the 
vicinity of these barracks that the village sprang up where my 
father built his house, to which he brought my mother in the 
year 1820, a bride of nineteen. She was a native of Erie, Pa., 
and left a large circle of relatives ; her grandfather, Col. Setli 
Reed, having been one of the first settlers of that place. 

It was on the first of OctO'ber that my motlier sailed up 
the beautiful Fox, upon the banks of which she resided most 
of the time for over sixty years. I have often heard hei" de- 
scribe the day as being one of those soft, hazy days in autumn, 
so peculiar to our Indian summer, which after a stormy voy- 
age up the lakes on a very small sailing vessel (having been 
dri^'en back tmce from the mouth, of Green Bay to ]\Iackina-w 
by high winds), must have been delightful to her. There were 
but two or three American families outside tlie fort, but quite 
a numl3er of French extraction, whom nw parents ever held as 
valued friends. 

My first recx>llection of a home is of a house a story and a 
half high, situated on rising ground sloping do^\m to the river. 



1 Condensed and edited for the present publication, by arrangement 
•with the author, from articles published by her in the Menominee 
(Mich.) Herald, Oct. 16. 18. 20, 1899.— Ed. 



174 WISCONSIxN HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

It was built of hevm logs, weather boarded outside and plas- 
tered witliin, and furnished comfortably. The only mode of 
transportation was by sailing vessels; and winter setting in early, 
the furniture and carpets did not arrive the lirst winter, so that 
my mother's carpets were colored Indian blankets — for bare 
floors were not to be endured in those severe winters. As a 
child I thought it a beautiful home, for my parents devoted 
much time to improving the grounds and making it what it was 
previo'us to my father's death, a pleasant place for that far- 
away land. Indeed, the lirst American settlers there knew 
scarcely anything of pioneer life as I have seen it since in other 
partd of the West. Our houses were comfortable, if not ele- 
gant, and furnished as nearly like Eastern, homes as was pos- 
sible, considering the difficulties of transportation. We knew 
nothing of a family living in one lower room, and climbing by 
a ladder to the sleeping room above. 

There were many Indians around Green Bay, and my 
mpther was in gTeat fear of them for some time. One little 
incident she used to relate to her children: one day she saw 
a canoe filled with Indians land at the foot of the hill, and sev- 
eral of the savages came up and asked in their own language 
for my father. As my mother did not miderstand thean, she 
was very inuch frightened, supposing they intended to harm 
her. They returned to the canoe and came running up the 
secoiul time; selie thought then they must have gone for their 
guns or knives, and was in great terror, until they came to 
lier with some silver ba^ids Avhich they used to wear on tlvur 
arms, and slipped them on her wrists as a token of good Avill. 
Then they paddled down the river to my father's store, three 
miles oft', and tnld him liis squaw was afraid of them. 

Fort Howard (after which tlie present city of that name is 
called) was built in 1S20, on the l>ank of the Fox River, about 
a mile froan its mouth. It was substantially constructed and 
painted white-, presenting a beautiful appearance, surrounded 
on tiAvo sides by the forest, the green sward sloping down to 
the river's edge in front ; wliile farther on, along the bank, were 
the gardens and fields cultivated l)y the soldiers. 

The society of the officers and their families was nearly all 



tlint n\\ inorher had for two or three years, when iiiv lii'aiid- 
father, Ifobert Inviii, sr., came with his family from J)etroit. 
One oi my iiucles and four sisters of ray father married and 
settled near us. Tvro of my Avidowed aunts, still live at Green 
Bay at an advanced age. I was born at Green Bay, July 18, 
18:21, being the iirst white child of actual settlers born in Wis- 
consin, and until a few years ago, it was my home. Many of 
the officers at the fort have since figured in our country's his- 
tory. In the siuumer of 182-1-, during a severe thunder stoiin, 
a house in tlie old barracks occupied by Capt. D. Cuilis, was 
struck by lighrninu' and Mrs. Curtis and a man servant were 
killed. Mrs. Curtis was a sister of Major Whistler, the mother 
of Mrs. General Kucker, and grandmother of Mrs. Philip Sher- 
idan. 

In those days the only mode of communication with the out- 
side world was by ^vater — in summer on sailing vessels, wdtli 
occasionally a steanilioat bringing a pleasure party. In the 
winter, the mail was Itroiight by a man once a month from Chi- 
cago. The government had not established a mail route, and 
the expenses of the carriei- were paid by voluntary subscrip- 
tion of the citizens and the military post-fund of Fort How- 
ard. The carrier walked the distance, 200 miles, through a 
trackless wilderness, exposed to the dangers of starvation, of 
penshing with cold, of falling into the hands of savage Indians, 
or of Ijecoiming a prey to wild beasts. In addition to the mail 
matter he had to carry provisions enongii to last himl during 
his trip, which with the blankets for his bed, made no small load, 
and rendered traveling very irksome when the snow was deep. 
At night he slept on the bare ground or scooped out the snow 
to form a conch, and there lay with the sky above him and 
the glittering eyes (f wild lieasts all around him. One of the 
carriers made a tri}) with the mail from Green Bay to Detroit 
in 1821, and camped one night where Michigan City noAv 
stands, using his bag of provisions as a pillow. He dreamed 
that he was rollino- down hilb when waking suddenly he found 
that a large black wolf was attempting to make way with his 
provisions. He is said to liave shot the wolf and regained his 
supplies. The day on which the nuiil was expected was a gaha 



176 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

day, tlie inliabitaiits of tlie village thiiikiug of nothing else, 
and many going ont along the trail for several miles to meet the 
carrier. As my father was the postmaster, I have often seen 
the cnrriei- coming iv., lient almost doiil.>le, and looking weary 
and travel-worn. 

A school was taught at the fort, which I attended at the ago 
of six years, boarding in the family of tlie teacher. Gen. A. G. 
Ellis. My first recollection of attending church was to hear 
the Rev. Eleazer Williams, afterwards known as the would-be 
Dau]^hin. Ho was a missionary of the Protestant Episcopal 
church to the Oneidas, Avho lived about eight miles from our 
village, and he preached occasionally for us. There was no 
regular preaching until about 1S27, when Rev. R. F. Cadlo 
was sent by the board of missions of the same denomination 
to establish a school for the 1)enelit !>f th-e Indian and Ereneli 
children. The children of the village attended the school as 
day sclK^lars. The mission house was the second frame house 
built in the i>resent state of Wisconsin, and \\'as thought at the 
time to be a fine mansion. 

About the year 1827 or 1S2S, a treaty was made with tlio 
Indians at Green Bay, at the gathering for which, tl:tere were 
present about 3,000 Indians. Gov. Lewis Cass and a number 
of the commissioners Avere quartered at our house; there wei'O 
then no hotels, and my fathei- had the euntract to board them; 
imd as our house was not large enough to furnish a dining room 
of suitable size, my father had a temporary one built, the frame 
and roof thatched witli the rough bark of trees, sticli as the 
French settlers used. 

It was somewhere alxiut 1S2S or 1S2'.I that one of our citi- 
zens, Henry 8. Baird, proposed taking his wife and family 
to Prairie du Chien in a bark canoe manned by Indians. He 
invited two young ladies, aunts of mine, to accompany them. 
^^^len they started on, their journey a party of ladies and gen- 
tlemen, among whom were my parents, made ready to escort 
them a short distance. ^\y parents took me with them. One 
of the ladies of the party was Miss Frances Henshaw, a sis- 
ter of Mrs. Whitney of our place, and afterwards the wife of 
the Rev. Truman Post of St. Louis. She was the life of the 



REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY NORTHWEST 



177 



party. Our boat was what was called a Mackinaw boat, rowed 
by French voyageurs. We spent the first night at the home 
of one of the okl settlers, Augustine Grignon, at Kaukauna, 
Avhere we ^-ere niiost hospitably entertained. The second night 
we encamped on Doty's Island, now Menasha ; but about mid- 
night we were aroused by heavy thunder, and were obliged to 
leave the tent, the gentlemen fearing the tree under wdiich 
it was pitched might be struck by lightning. A shelter ^vas 
made of the boat's awning, which was taken off for the occa- 
sion. While lying under this, on the outside edge, with the 
rain pattering on my face, I remember thinking I could not se<3 
much pleasure in that kind of excursion, and wishing I were 
at home. The next morning we bade adieu to our friends as 
they started across Lake 'Winnebago, Avishing them bon voyage, 
while our party turned their faces homeward. The rain poured 
down all day, making it necessary constantly to bail the boat. 
Those were not days r.i rubl)er shoes, waterproofs or gossamers, 
and my readers may imagine our condition. At the rapids 
at Kaukauna we were obliged to walk aromid, while the men in 
the boat dashed over them. The portage path was about half 
a mile in lengtli, and the remoml)rance uppermost in my mind 
is of a thorough drenching, and that the red clay on our feet 
made it almost im])ossible for us to Avalk. The rain increas- 
ing and darkness coming on, the men refused to go any farther 
that night. They ran the boat ashore and left us. As there 
was no house near where we could find shelter, our situation 
for a time was not an enviable one. However, by offering them 
more money, the men wore prevailed upon to start again, and 
we arrived home towards morning. 

One of the events in those far-off days was the annual pay- 
ment to the Indians, in autumn of each year. As the traders 
advanced goods to the Indians during the year, they were 
obliged to be on the ground when the Indians received their 
money in order to secure their pay. There was a general stam- 
pede of the male portion of tlie place, and the women were 
''left alone in their glory." ]Mess chests larger than a Sara- 
toga trunk were packed with the choicest viands from the lard- 
ers and evorvthina' done for the comfort of those who had to 



1^8 AVISCOXSIX HiyrORICAL SOCIETY 

rough it, sometimes for more than a month. Couhl the inci- 
dents of those payment gatheings be rec(jr(led, as I have heard 
them related from rear to year by friends Avho were actors in 
them, it would form an amusing history. 

In tlie year 1829, Daniel Whitney, wlio came to Green Bay 
in 1S19, laid out the town which is now the city of Green Bay, 
ealli]]g it Xavarino. A few years later, the American Fur 
Company laid out a town adjoining on the south, called 
Astor. Both villages were aftenvards imited under the name 
of Green Bay. ]\Ir. Whitney was an enterprising man and 
one of sterling worth, and was ^vell known by the early set- 
tlers of Cliicag'o. Indeed, I nuiy say the same of others of 
our small town. ^Morgan L. Martin, a young lawyer, arrived 
at Green Bay in 1S27, and was always identified with its in- 
terests as well as those of the state. He was elected delegate 
to congTess in 18-15, and through his efforts a bill was passed 
for the improvement of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers, to whieli 
object he devoted time, euergies, and fortune. He occupied 
many offices of trust until his death, nearly four years ago, when 
with faculties unimpaired he literally stepped out of the judge's 
seat to lie down and die, beloved by all who knew him. 

In 1832 came the Black Hawk War. Although we Avere 
not molested, the inhabitants were quite alarmed for a time. 
The fort was undergoing I'cpairs, and the pickets being down 
it was no place of safety. My father had a company under 
his command, but tlicir services were not required. 

In 1833 occun-ed the death of my father. He had received 
the appointment of Indian agent at Fort Winnebago (now 
Portage), and proceeded at uiice to enter upon his duties, leav- 
ing his family to follow him in a few weeks. He made the 
journey in a bark canoe, accompanied l)y his brother, since his 
health was far from being good. But he had scarcely Ijeen 
there a month before he was prostrated by illness, and died 
in a few hours. Owing to the difficulty of communication, 
my mother did not hear of his illness until it was too late to 
reach him. She started, however, on horseback, and went as 
far as Buttes des !^[ortes, wliere she met ray uncle, liearing the 
sad intelligence to her that she was a widow. 



REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY NORTHWEST 



179 



It may not be uninteresting' here to mention a discussion 
between my parents, as to whetJier a cooking stove should be 
sent for, with other articles of furniture for our new hoiuje. 
My molher decided that she preferred the old way, cooking 
over a lire place instead of experimenting with a cooking stove. 
In the ^•ery early years of my life we knew nothing of matches, 
although they )nay have come into tise at the East. There was 
always a Hint, steel, and tinder box in the house, but some 
could not use these, and so tlie coals were covered at night. 
Should ihey die out we were obliged to borrow fire from the 
neighliors. I ]-eniember being sent on this errand to my grand- 
father's wJien a small child. 

In July, 1833, I was sent to Erie, Pa., to school and was 
jolaced under tJie care of John H. Kinzie, whose name is identi- 
fied with Chicago's early days. He had been Indian agent at 
Fort Winnebago previous to my father's appointment. His 
family, consisting of his mother, his wife, and one child, his 
sister. ]\Irs. Helm, her son, and a young brother of Mrs. Kin- 
zie, J alien McGill, were on their way East. We embarked 
on a small steamer, the "William Penn," Capt. John Wight 
of Erie, who by the Avay, was captain of the small sailing vessel 
on which n\v motlier made her Jirst trip to Green Bay. We 
went first to Chicago, and from Green Bay to that place there 
was but one house on the west shore of the lake, that of Solo- 
mon Jtmeau at Milwaukee. The boat anchored out in the 
lake when they stopped to wood — as coal was not used in those 
days on the hoats. We reached Chicago on the ninth of July, 
after a passage of nearly three days. As there was no pier, 
the vessel anchored some distance out in the lake, and we were 
rowed ashore in boats. We had had very rough weather and 
I had suffered witli sea-sickness nearly all the Avay. I was 
lifted out of my berth and laid on a bed in the bottom of the 
row boat, a poor, homesick child. The kindness of those 
friends, I can never forget. 

On reaching shore we landed at Fort Dearborn, and passing 
through it, we went I0 the house of Col. Beaul)ien, where we 
were liospitably entertained while the boat lay in the harbor. 
T remember walking with one of the dauehters of Col. Beau- 



l8o WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

bien, on tlio lake shore, A\-]iere we saw n nuinber of graves of 
those who had been stricken clown with cholera the year be- 
fore, whicli were so near the shore that the waves had washed 
away the earth and partially nncovered some of the coffins. 
Little did I -dream that I should live to see a city such as Chi- 
cago is today, w^here, as I remember, it was seemingly only a 
stretdi of sand and i)rairie. I must confess that the river 
looked more attractive than it does at the present time. 

There ^^•ere few houses occupied by the early settlers ; three 
frame two-story buildings owned by i^ewberry & Dole, Philo 
Carj)enter, and P. F. Peck. The latter was the fatlier of Ferd 
Peck, now so interested in the Auditorimii and the Colmnbian 
fair, and commissioner to the Paris exposition of 1900. 
That year three churches had been organized in Chicago, the 
first Presbyterian, the first Baptist, and the first Methodist. 
A Catholic priest also arrived in 1833. The first public 
Protestant Episcopal services were held in the first Presbyte- 
rian church, by request of its minister, and Mr. John Kinzie, 
Mrs. Kinzie, Mrs. Helm, and Miss Chappel (afterward Mrs. 
Porter), distributed prayerbooks. The lighthouse had been 
built the year before, on the Fort Dearborn reservation. The 
keeper was a son of General Brady, after w^hom the fort 
at Sault Ste. Mary was named. I did not then see or know 
Reverend Mr. Porter, who in J\Iay of that year had come to 
Chicago from Fort Brady, with Major and Mrs. Fowle and 
their infant daughter. That daughter ^Mr. Porter first met 
thirty-one years afterwards in Boston, and learned that she and 
her husband, Henry F. Durant, were engaged in building Wel- 
lesley college, which a few years later he visited with Mr. and 
Mrs. Durant. 

In the autumn of lvS33, Miss Eliza Chappel opened the first 
school in Chicago in John "Wright's log store, across the street 
from Fort Dearborn. This building Avas presented to her by 
Mr. "Wright as soon as he had finished his frame store. Later the 
school was moved to the Presbyterian church on the southwest 
corner of Lake and Clark streets. Miss Chappell's assistants 
were Miss Elizabeth Beach and a Miss Leavenworth. 

After remaining in Chicago for a day, we again took passage 



REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY NORTHWEST jgi 

(in tlio boat, and continued our journey up the east shore of 
tlie lake. We stopped at St. Joseph, that being the only set- 
llonieut on tliat side, and halted at Grand Haven to wood. 
Our next stoppino- place was at Mackinac, in those days the 
headquarters of the American Fur Company. From that place 
to Detroit there was but one stopping place, on the River St. 
Clair, at or near Fort Gratiot. Ten days were occupied in mak- 
ing this journey. 

One little incident which occurred the next winter after this 
trip was a visit from Mr. Kinzie and his sister, Mrs. Helm, on 
their return from their mother's funeral. They stopped late 
one evening at Erie, where I was attending school, and inquired 
of the proprietor of the hotel, who was an uncle of my mother, 
where I could be found. He sent for mie to come to the hotel. 
I was aroused from sleep in order to go, delighted to see any- 
one of the old liome friends. 

Soon after mj father's death, my nnother removed to Ohio 
to educate her family. We returned to Green Bay in the 
a.uturiin of 1S3G, in the height of the land speculation when 
there was much immigration to that place and to Chicago also. 
The old steamer Michigan at one time brought one thousand 
passengers in her cabin, their fare amoimting-to $10,000, 
while the steerage more than paid the expenses of the trip. 
The inhabitants of the ''jumping off" place, as Green Bay was 
at that timle designated, were hopeful that it would become a 
great business centre. But they were doomed to disappoint- 
ment, as the heavily timljered country around it did not offer 
the inducements to settlers which the prairie lands in the south- 
ern part of the territory and in Illinois presented. However, 
people came there, houses were built, and (to quote the words 
of one who was describing those tim;es) "Brave mien and culti- 
vated women lived there then who visited, talked and read; 
vn-ote letters on large sheets of paper folded witliout envelope 
and sealed with wafers ; such people lived there and in their 
simple content did not suspect how ]nany things were lacking 
to make them happy." 

In the autumn of 1837, Reverend Stephen Peet, who was 
aftei-^vards one of the chief instruments in the founding of 



l82 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

Beloit college and also of the (Miieaii-o Theological sennnary, 
camio to Green Bay as pastor of the first Presbyterian church 
in the state. During his pastorate of t^vo years the church was 
built — the second Protestant church in the state — the first 
being a small one erected at Stockbridge for the use of the 
mission there for the Indians. The lots for the site of the Pres- 
byterian church Avere given by John Jacob Astor, Painsay 
Crooks, and Pobert Stuart. In giving the lots for the church 
Mr, Astor wrote to his agent, X. Goodell: 

You charge in your account 87 cts. for recording deed from the Pres- 
byterian church of lots 7 and 8, block 27 (the lots originally given but 
exchanged for others), which the church ought to pay. Please col- 
lect it. 

On the other hand, J. J. Aster's name stood at the head of the 
subscription list for money to build the church, for $300.00. 
Among the names on that list is Washington Irving's for $50.00. 
The bell was given within a month or two of the time of the 
dedication of the church, hy Mr. Astor, a copy of whose letter, 
in answer to the request for the liell, is in my possession. 

YouKviLLE 1st October 1838. 

Messrs Stephen Peet, Wm Mitchei.i, Gaudneu Ciiilds, Committee. 
Gexts 

Your letter of 1st Sepr. with one from J. D. Doty attached, was duly 
received, and although I did not expect such a call would have been 
made upon me, after what I had previously done, yet I have complied 
with your request, and have purchased today from Mr. Force an excel- 
lent Bell of 696 pounds cast by him the present year, it has a tine tone, 
and will effectually notice all who are disposed to give attention to 
their duties from its summons. It is addressed to Wm. Mitchell, care 
of Treat & Carter Buffalo New York, and will be shipped tomorrow on 
board a Tow Boat for Albany. P. S. You will please settle the account 
for freight and expenses. 

Respectfully Your Obt. Servant 

J. J. Astor. 

In the winter of 18?)T and 1S38, a brother of my mother, 
Seth Peed, wliose home was at Green Bay, and who was assist- 
ant paym.aster to the troops under ]\Iajor Pobert Forsyth, was 
ordered to Florida for the Seminole war. As there was no road 
from Green Bav to C'hiean'o (the mail r(uite havinsi' been es- 



REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY NORTHWEST 183 

tablislied but tliree years), it was no easy matter to make the 
journey. However, a vehicle on runners was built, in which 
i!iy uiiclo and aunt made the journon', carrying their provisions 
with thoiu and canqnng at niiilit. I think they improvised 
a bed out of rhe sled, with snmc shelter overhead. They pro- 
ceeded to Xiles, Midi., in ibis conveyance, as that was the end 
of the stage route frtnn the East. My aunt was the first lady 
I0 take this journey. I\Irs. John H. Kinzie, antlior of IVai/, 
Bun. had made the trip a few years before on horseback through 
the interior of the territory, from Fort Winnebago to Chicago. 

In 1S40 one of my sisters married, and went to Soiithport 
(now Kenosha) to live. She and her husband made their wed- 
ding trip in a sleigh constructed of rough boards, the only velii- 
cle which could stand the wear and tear of roads such as we 
liad at that time. 

In the summer of 1840, the Presbyterian church at Green 
Bay gave a call to Itev. Jeremiah Porter (who had organized 
the first Presbyterian church in Chicago), which he accepted. 
In the autmnn of that year, Mr. Porter attended the meeting 
of the presbyterv held at Prairieville (now Waukesha) where 
the ministers after due deliberation agreed to form; the Presby- 
terian and Congreo'ational convention of Wisconsin, uniting 
the two chiuvhes in one body, which in that sparsely settled 
region proved a vise arrangement. A committee from that 
body, consisting of Pev. Stephen Peet, I^ev. Otis Curtis, and 
Pev. Moses Ordway, were sent to Green Bay to install Pev. 
Mr. Porter — the first installation under that convention in 
Wisconsin. ]\Ir. Porter remained pastor of the church eighteen 
years, removing to Chicago in 1858, where he became pastor 
of the Edwards (Congregational church. It was a rare privi- 
lege we enjoyed in being associated with him and his most es- 
timable wife, of M'hom I heard the remark once made, ''It is 
a blessing to a household to have them members in it.*' Very 
sacred to the members of that congregation, who still remain, 
is the memory of ]\rrs. Porter, whose nolde life, so full of deeds 
of self-sacrifice, and words of wisdom an<l love in the service 
of the Master, made the world better for her having lived. 

In the autumn of the year 18-11, our small tovni was thrown 



184 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

into quite a flurrv of exciteniient by, a visit from Prince de 
Joiiiville and suite. It was at the timje of the sensation caused 
by tJio claim of Eev, Eleazar Williams that he was tbe ^'Lost 
Dau])hin," and the object of the prince's visit was supposed 
to be an investigation of the matter. But it was found that 
liis visit was really made in order to ascertain some facts re- 
gard ing Mrs. Williams' father, Monsieur Jourdan, whose fam- 
ily had done notable service in the French army. Mrs. 
Williams was of French and Indian extraction, and was a very 
handsome woman. 

My second visit to Chicago Avas in June, ISo'J, when I came 
from Green Bay on the steamer "Great Western," the largest 
Ixiat then on the lakes, sailed by Capt. W^alker, long and favor- 
al;ly known as a kind and genial captain. Unlike my first ar- 
rival, the boat steamed into the river and renmined one day. 
When ready to continue the journey, the steamer passed up the 
river some distance, and had great difficulty in turning round. 
.Vlthough but six years had elapsed since my first visit, the 
change was marvelous. Where had lieen nothing but a stretch 
of prairie t\'itli here and there a house, was now a busy town, 
laid or.t in streets with some fine residences and places of busi- 
ness, even then assunung the airs of the city it was destined 
to become. 

About the first of Xovendier of the year 1S41, I accompa- 
nied my sister to her home in Kenosha. At tliat season the 
roads were impassable through the country ; and we were obliged 
tr. take a smiall stamer which ran fromj Green Bay to Macki- 
naw, connecting with the daily line from' Buffalo to Chicago. 
We reached Mackinaw, expecting to leave the same day for Ke- 
nosha, but continuous storms prevented the arrival of any boat 
for more than a, week. We vcere obliged to make the best of the 
delay, and were very comfortably entertained at the old Laslie 
House, the landlady, .Mrs. Laslie, Avho Avell understood cooking, 
serving us Avitli the famous J\lackinaw whitefish in evei-y possi- 
ble foriU'. In these days of fast locomotion by land and water, 
this generation can scarcely realize our situation. Detained 
on an island (most lieautifnl and interesting I grant, in a pleas- 
ant season (if ilie year), wlicre there was no regular mail, on 



REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY NORTHWEST 185 

tlio verge of winter, with no certainty ef the coming of a l)oat, 
our sitnatioii was not an enviable one. Added to this was our 
anxiety about my sister's babe, but three months old and far 
from well. However, a steamer finally arrived and we were 
once miore on our w;;y. We had a pleasant run for a few 
hours. Init a storm having arisen, the remainder of the ]iassage 
was very riiugh and the ]iassengers were nearly all seasick. In 
those days the boat;^ had not more than two state rooms, the 
berths being arranged on each side of the cabin. ^lany of us 
were obliged to have our beds made on the floor, a miserable 
company, which the reader can better imagine than I can de- 
scribe. Wlieu we reached Kenosha, the lake was so rough we 
were not al)le to laud, and hadi to proceed to Chicago, where 
we took up our quarters at the Lake Plouse, on tl>e jSTorth side, 
delighted to set our feet on land once more. This was my third 
visit to that cit^', and I found many changes. The Aveather 
was not cold enough to freeze the ground and the mud was 
fearful. In attempting to cross a street it was a question 
whether we could do so without sinking a foot deep. We re- 
mained there two days, re-erabarked on the steamer, and reached 
Kenosha in the evening in the midst of a snow storm. As the 
lake was rough the boat could not reach the pier, and the passen- 
ges were brought asb.ore in a large flat boat used in stormy 
weather for that purpose. There was but one hotel there (a 
log house) kept liy ^NFr. Whitney, where we were made very 
comfortable. I spent the winter at Kenosha, and have a pleas- 
and remembrance of those few months in the new to^^m, settled 
by men and women of enterprise, intelligence, and tb.rift from 
the East. 

In the spring of 1842, I visited Chicago for a few days, 
being pleasantly entertained in the family of Mr. Loring Whit- 
ing, who occupied the house of William B. Ogden on the Xoi*tli 
side. In the sumiuer of that year I returned to Green Bay, 
traveling in a light wagon from Kenosha to ]\radison, theuco 
to Fort Winnebago, and by the old militaiy road to Green Bay. 
A week was spent in making the journey. In September, 1842, 
I mairied Mr. William "flitch ell, formerly from Mackinaw, who 
was intimatelv associated with a number of the earlv settlers 



l86 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

of Chicago — Mr. "Robert Stuart, one of the prominent men 
in the American Fur ('oni])anv, also .^Ir. Joh.n H. Kinzie and 
the late Giirdon S. Hubbard. My husband ^vas for several 
years agent for ]\[r. Hubbard, selling land at Green Bay for 
him and transacting other business. 

My husband used often to tell a circumstance connected with 
the beginning of Chicago, showing how little some men could 
foresee its future greatness. In 18-54, a young officer at the 
fort at ^Mackinaw, Lieut. Kingsbury, went to Chicago and on his 
retuni said to my husband, "'Mr. Mitchell, if you wish to in- 
vest in property which will double your money in a short time, 
there is a tract of land in Chicago (I forget the nimiber of 
acres) which can be liought for $800.00." Mr. Mitchell almost 
doubted his sanity and answered emphatically, ''Mr. Kings- 
bury, I would not give $800.00 for the whole of Chicago." 
Lieut. Kingsbu.ry borrowed the money and hought the land him- 
self. — since called "Kingsbury's Addition," — and realized a 
fortune from it. 

In 1846, business obliged my husl)and to return to Macki- 
nav/ where we resided a year. At that time there were no regu- 
lar boats running to Green Bay, and no stages, so that per- 
sous wishing to go East were obliged to hire a team to take them 
to Sheboygan or Milwaukee, in order to take the regiilar lx)at 
from Chicago. A gentleman of our place, Mr. Nathan Goodell, 
v.'ho oviied a small boat, not nearly as large as the tugs of 
today, nor as seaworthy, offered to go to ]\Iackinaw provided 
he could secure a sufficient nuudier of passengers. There were 
a nuiuber besides ourselves who preferred to run the risk on 
tlio boat (which had never heen on the lake) to undergoing 
the fatigue of a journey through the woods. The owner of the 
lx)at, to convince us of his confidence in its safety, took his 
ovni dau.Thters with him. We embarked, many of us feeling 
that we mioht ahnost as safely Imve reached our destination 
had wo jinn]>od into the river. However, thanks to a kind 
Providence, the trip was pleasant, without wind, and we reached 
Mackinaw tJie third day after leaving Green Bay. Just l>efore 
landins; a heavy rain fell, and as the deck was not waterproof, 
we were drenched, the water covering the cabin floor to the 



REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY NORTHWEST 187 

(Icptli <if an ineli, ol)liiiiiiii' tlic passengers tO' sit \vltli their foot 
on the rounds of their chairs. Tlie sauio little hoat made three 
trips that sunmior, hnt was wrecked when making the fourth. 

The reniendn-ance of the year spent at ]\[ackinaAv Is a pleas- 
ant one. As (^vervone knows, that island is interesting on ac- 
count of its natural curiosities, and the many associations of 
an historical as well as of a roiuantic nature. The society at 
that time, though small, was composed largely of people of 
education and intelligence, and with the officers' families in 
the fort, there was no lack of sociahility. Indeed, the inhahi- 
tants were obliged to depend upon their own resources durinu' 
the long winter months, as they were cut off from communi- 
cation with the outside world except hy a mail once a month, 
brought from Detroit by a carrier on a dog sled. That was 
the winter of the ]\[exican war, and as some of the officers 
had left their families at ^fackinaw, there was no little anx- 
iety felt. During the summer the island was a gi'eat resort 
for those seeking health and enjoyment. There was a daily 
line of elegant steamers from Buffalo to Chicago, nearly al- 
ways crowded with passengers, "who wdiile the boat, lay 
there flocked in evei-y direction to see the sights. Tbey were 
obliged to climb the hill learling to the fort, and as the boat 
did 7iot remain more than a couple of hours, it was veiw amus- 
ing to see the scrambling and running when the bell for de- 
parture rang. The steamers always carried a fine band on 
board, thus enlivening the long, and sometimes tedious jeur- 
ney from Buffalo to Chicago. 

Tl^e business for which my husliand had gone to MackinaAv 
being accomplished, we returned to Green Bay on a sniiall boat, 
meeting with a chapter of accidents, one of which was the burst- 
ing of the cylinder, that obliged us to return to Mackinaw and 
wait several days Iwfore we could secure another boat. This 
latter was scarcely seaworthy, and before reaching our destina- 
tion the crank broke, so we came into port with only one wheel. 
About the year 1^4r^>, there came a younc: lawyer and. wife 
to Green Bay from "Maine, and made their home among us, 
notwithstanding the greater inducements offered to young busi- 
ness nijen in Chicao:o, and other new towns. This was Tim- 



i88 WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

othy O. HoAve, in after vcars so long' United States senator 
from that district, and still later postmaster-general. The in- 
terests of his adopted homie were ever his own. A man of re- 
markably genial disposition, he was held in high esteem), and 
on his annual return from Washington to his cheery home, 
his cordial handshake was given to all, without regard to posi- 
tion. A^^'len a few years since he and his good wife were laid 
to rest in Woodlawn cemetery, the commmiity at Green Bay 
felt that their vacant places could not soon be filled. 

In the spring of 1850, Eev. Otto Tank came to Green Bay 
witli a colony of Xorwegians, purchasing land and settling a 
little way south of Fort Howard. Both he and his wife were 
of noble descent, but because ~Slv. Tank had connected him- 
self with the ]\[oravians, his father had disinherited him. 
He was appointed a missionary to South America, where he 
resided some years. His wife having died there, he returned 
to Europe with his little daughter, Avhere he married a second 
time. A man of fine education, refined and cultured umnners, 
and strong christian principle, he was esteemed by all who 
knew him. His wife was a woman of strong character and good 
business ability, Avliose hand was ready to bestow of her abundance 
upon tliose in need and who gave to all benevolent enterprises, 
unostentatiously, however, with no name to accompany her gifts. 
Even w^hen bestowing personal favors, if thanks Avere given, 
she would say in her quaint manner : " Xo, no, I am the Lord's 
steward, give Him thanks." Although from her conversation 
vfe w^ere somewhat acquainted with her former life as having 
been in the ''higher walks," it Avas not until after her death 
that her friends became aware that in early life, both by rela- 
tionship and companionship, she had been so closely connected 
with mien and women of high birth. Eor a number of years 
after the death of her husband and daughter, she lived a quiet 
almost secluded life, in her pleasant quaint home, filled with 
curios, antiquities, and articles of great value. At her death 
she left a large fortune chiefly to home and foreign missions, 
to which she had for years donated large sums. 

In 1856, the Fox and Wisconsin River improvement was 
completed; an event that for years had been anticipated as one 



REMINISCENCES OB^ THE EARLY NORTHWEST 189 

which woiild :nake a large city of Green Bay. The day was 
one of jubilee, when the first boat, the "Aguila," reached there 
from Pittsburgh, via the Ohio and Mississippi, and thence by 
means of the improvement through the Wisconsin and Fox 
rivers. Eveiy bell in the place was rung, the old cannton at 
the fort was fired, hurrahs were shouted from every quarter, all 
however, drO'^\Tied by the unearthly whistle of the boat, whose 
like %ras never heard there before or since. To quote from the 
Advocate: "The boat would come whistling into port just as 
the people were preparing to take their first nap, causing them 
to spring in alarm from their beds. Then about four in the 
morning she would give a screech to let people know that she 
was preparing to go, another to let them laiow she was ready, 
another that they had better hurry if they wanted to take 
passage, and another to tell them she had started and they could 
not get on if they wished." For a number of years the travel 
was by these boats, and although it was tedious passing through 
so many locks, the beauty of the scenery made the trip a pleas- 
ant one. 

Having corae now to the year of the wai-, which belongs to 
mjodern times, the writer feels that these "recollections" may 
be finished. I will say, however, that for that w^ar Green Bay 
furnished many brave men, some of whom^ laid down tlieir lives 
in its service. My two eldest sons, although veiy yoimg, en- 
listed and served as musicians in the "Marching Twelfth" regi- 
ment. Two years from the date of enlistment the regiment 
had marched on foot sixteen hundred miles, had been trans- 
ported by steamer fifteen hundred miles and by rail six hundred 
miles. A few months later they accomplished a march of four 
hundred and sixteen miles in thirty-one days. My sons before 
they were of age were mustered out and returaed home without 
a woimd. 




e-a' 



•*4^r: »■ 




